Clutch.



No; 845,094) PATENTED FEB. 26, 190'7). H. .TEZLER CLUTCH.

APPLIOATION FILED PEB. 1.1906.

Fig

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Eet. 4ae, 1907.

i Application mea February 1,1906. serial No. 293.944.

.To all whom it may concern,.- o Be it known that I, HUBERT JEzLEE, a citizen of the Republic oi Switzerland, residing at Zurich, "in Switzerland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clutches, of which the following is a specilication.

The subject-matter of this invention is an elastic two-part clutch for the transmission of rotary movement.,

For the pur ose of connecting the two clutch arts or lialves of the clutch there are locate between the halves of the clutch at leastthree pairs of conical saucer-like paths turned toward each other, a ball being arranged between each two opposite saucerlike paths comprising apair and means being provided which tend to ress the opposi'tely-lying saucer-like pat is toward one another eoneentrically in such manner that,

-elastic pressure, resultsY in the two clutch-| one hand,rotary movement is transmit-ted bythe balls and paths from one half of tli'e clutch tothe other halt thereof and that, on the other hand, the movement away on the from each other of the oppositely-lying paths, 2 5

which takes place upon the transmission oi the rotary movement by overcoming the halves being caused to take upy an eccentric position; but the elastic pressure on the saucer-likefpaths of the balls always tends to center the clutch-halves again.

` The accompanying drawings show, by way of example, a constructional form of clutch according to this invention adapted to serve as arunning-whe'el. Figure 1 is aview, partly inside elevation and partly in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a central horizontal section ot Fig. 1.

half of vthe Fig. 3

'shows a detail to a larger scale.

In'the example shown one clutch forms the sp and the other half ofthe clutch the felly luJ of the Wheel. That half o'r' the clutch including the wheel-spoke, is keyed upon an axle a and is formed with a hub b, around :which are symmetrically arranged three arms c of equal length, lattenedon both sides to form the wheel-spokes. Upon each ofthe atsides of each arm' end is formed a shallow conical saucer-like path d, and the spoke ends each project between two corresponding and oppositelu -lying disks s, which are removably mounted in the elly fu, of the wheel in -a plane at right angles t9 the wheel-axle butv are prevented i'romnoving relatively to the wheel-telly. The felly is furnished okes oi.' a. running-wheel n with a rubber tire-g as a running-ring. The

disks 's have on their iront sides saucer-like paths d which are of the same shape as the aths d and are located opposite to them.

j' j' are balls inserted in the capsule-like part chambers foi'med,oii the one hand,by the paths' d of the diskss and, on the other hand,by the paths (l of the wheel-spokes. These balls serve to transmit rotary movement from one half of the clutch to the other and are clamped between paths by rubber plates e, disks s.

The working of the hereiiibefore-described clutch constructed as a ruiming-wheel is as 4 follows'z As will be seen from the foregoing description with reference to the drawings, the wheel-spokes' are not connected directly and rigidlyV to the ielly, but are, together with the axle, elastically suspended in the felly by the balls elastically clamped between -tlie saucer-like paths. In consequence of this elastic suspension of' the wheel-spokes and the axle the two parts of the wheel assume, during the rotation of the wheel and underthe influence of rotary force, tlie load 01.n the axle, and the shocks arisin gfrom the road continuouslychanging positions moreor less eccentric to one another, theballsfrolling round on their saucer-like paths in more oi' less eccentric paths. The size of depends upon the rotary force of the wheelspokes, upon the load on the axle, and upon the shocks of the road. lIt also depends upon the pressure of the rubber plates e t0- ward the balls. The balls moved out of the deepest point of the saucer-like depressions tend under the elastic pressure of the rubber plates to always bring back the displaced saucer-like paths, and with them the whole of the wheel-sp okes intol the original position. In addition to tliisthe oilice of the saucerlike paths and balls is to provide for eHicient laid behind the the wheel-spokes vwith as little friction as possible..

During road o r street the wheel-s pokes always maintain a more or less eccentric position. The balls run at the same time with a relatively smallspeed in their capsule-like. chambers and hold the wheel-spokes together with the axle in an elastic suspended position inside the elly, and thereby aiiord an elastic support to the load. unevennessof .the road are in consequence of lateral .guidance of the elly with vrespect tothe running of the wheel upon the the saucer-'like these eccentric ball-paths Shocks arising from the low speed, and inthe case 'of motor and be'lore-tescribed wheel is employed for motor and goot'is vehicles intended to run at goods vehicles intended to run at medium speed rubber tires g (see drawingstare only necessary to mitigate the noise, while in tlze case o'fveliicles intended to run at high speed a materially smootherl running is produced by thc use of pneumatictires than is possible with their use alone-that is to say, Without the elastic suspension of the Wheel-spokes.

At the same time in the latter casecwing to the smoother running and the shock being taken up elastically and free driving, the pneumatic tires are preserved in an adequate manner.

To prevent dust and dirt from penetrating into the interior of the running-wheel, it may b'e provided with a suitable covering.

lutches constructed according to this in# vention are also .suitable for coupling up shafts, especially those Whose axes are not exactly in'lineor concentric or whose po-y sitionfin relation to each other does not always remain the same.

It may be also mentioned that the Wheel'- spokes may number Vmore-.than three and that the number 4of the saucer-likeV paths and balls may be suitably increased; furthermore, that such paths and,balls consist, preierably, of'hardened steel and that instead of the rubber platesmlator spiral springs may be arranged, as Well as that the arrangement ofthe saucer-like paths may be different from that shown in the drawings, it being only necessary in the l'astmentioned case that the one half of the clutch shall have on both sldes of a plane cutting the axis of of saucer-like paths retiring from the plane and that theother half of t-he clutch be provided with corresponcing paths, the -number and arrangement of which' are such that eac 1 saucer-like path is opposite one of the corresponding paths turned toward it.

The felly u may bein two parts for the .purpose oi' being more easily put together; but the pieces] s may be inserted through holes provifed with covers Which'can be unl' screwed therefrom. y l l Y Having now particularly described anu and` in what manner the same is tobe per'- i'ormed, I (eclare that what I claim irs-k 1. In an elastic lclutch a central transmitting (levi ce having sa neer-like depressions on eachside opposite each other, a driven member, plates mounted at the peripliery thereof having similar depressions opposite` those in the transmitting member, rubber cushions to exert a pressure on the plates toward the depressions on the transmitting `device', and a ball in each lenticular pocket .formed by the oppositely-situated depressions, substantially as described. 2. In an y,elastic clutch a' central hub havving arms' projecting therefrom, having op- Ypositely-situatc d depressions' onthe sides of the arms, a circular driven rim having seats therein, disks mounted one opposite each depression'in the arms andhaving similar depressions, -elastic means between the disks and rim to'foroesaid disks toward the arms and a ball in each lenticular pocket formed by the oppositely-'situated depressions, substantially as described. i

Inftestimony whereof I have nameto this Ispecification in the two Subscribing witnesses.

HUBERT JEZLER.

presence of Witnesses ROBERT BECK,

rotation ofthe clutch vertically a plurality l E. BLUM.

lascertained the nature of the said invention signed my, 

